Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-15
FRU IT GROWERS.
Proceedings Of the Con-
yention Wednesday.
INTERESTING DISCUSSION.
Predatory Pests-The PrOtectloh
and Preservation of California
Fruits.

Growers Convention openeo WIN
cussion of the proposition to memorial
ixe Congress to send an envoy to Aus
tralia to inquire into the insects preda-
tory upon fruit and discover the best
method of exterminating them. Prof.
C. v. Riley, who had introduced
the resolution, had left the city
for San Francisco, and the dis
cussion was carried on by a large
number of the members. The resolution
was finally adopted. and committee,
cousisting of DR.. e. Kimball, W. G.
Klee and j. H. Roe appointed to prepare
and present such memorial.
The visit of Prof. Riley only resulted
In this resolution, which will be barren
Of results. The Professor failed to give
the first valuable hint or suggestion to
the fruit-gowers about the extermina-
tion of predatory pests. In fact, his
hobby was petroleum emulsions, and
that continually. The fruit.growers of
Riverside, who have none Of these pests,
got tired of this. long drawn, senseless
drivel, and many went home to gather
orauges. rather than stay to hear about
an emulsion that would spoil the fruit
for eating and afterward kill the tree.
He did not favor q fumigation of gas,
which killed the bug but did not kill
the tree, as he saw exhibited at Orange,
ia this county, q few days ago. He did
mot originate the idea, and no ideas
seemed to be of any value in his sight
except his own. He probably learned
more from the practical fruit.growers of
this county in regard to insect extermi.
nation than he ever knew before.
aud saw that there was no use for him
and his hobby in practical California.
The only cheerful thing that he said was
in regard to Riverside and her beautiful
groves and gardens, as follows:
''RIvERsIDE.
What relief it is to get from a scale.
infected region-with the attending evils
Of blighted and withering growth,
smuttiness and unmsrketable fruit, into
. neighborhood yet exempt from these
pests, like this enterprising locality
ia which you meet! What a joy in con
templating by contrast the bright and
cleanly aspect of the trees! And what
is there more beautiful in nature than q
perfect orange grove at this season, and
vet untainted by cocid or aphid or other
insect enemy! In all my travels have
nowhere felt nearer the ideal Garden of
Eden than in some of your lovely valleys,
yet unvisited by these destroying atoms.
The profusion and perfection Of fruit
and flowers. the elysian character OF the
landscape, the genial sun-all appeal to
the higher aesthetic feeling in man, and
ono is moved to enthusiastic contem.
plation and aaniration of the glories of
nature and the bounties of heaven under
such favorable conditions"
A resolution was passed urging all
fruit growers to to work for the repeal
Of the Interstate Commerce bill.
A. 8. Chapman read well-written
essay on fertilizing Of orange trees. His
essay was ordered published.
An essay was then read on the preser.
vatiou of fruits by cold storage, written
by Mr.. Allegretti, Of West Berkeley.
The writer, in addition to praising his
own method, took occasion to reflect on
the system of cold storage as practiced
in Southern California.
This brought Mr.. Geo. M. Stowe to
the defense as the system as practiced
by the Inter.Ocean Cold Storage Com.
pany of Riverside, Santa Ana and other
places. Mr.. Stowe is the Superintend.
eat of the Inter.ocean Cold Storage
Company, and replied as follows:
MR.. STOVES ADDRESS,.
Mr.. President, Gentlemen of the Conuen'
tion.:
1t would be impossible for me, upon
this short notice, to do the subject,
<sCold Storage" justice. l will, how.
ever, try to convey to the Convention
some idea of the manner in which it is
applied by the Interocean Cold Storage
and Shipping Company, of Riverside; to
the preparation of fruit for transporta.
tion long distances, and the preservation
of the same for a long period.
sCold storage" suggests at once to one
uninformed. the use of large quantity
of ice, thus producing a damp, moist
cold, the effect of which, many Of you
know by experience, to be very disas-
trous to fruit. As we apply it it is
directly the opposite, using nothing but
a perfectly dry cold. This we secure by
the circulation of brine, first cooled to a
low degree through coils of pipe, so
arranged as to produce a circulation of
cold dry air, 80 that no ice whatever
comes in contact with your fruit. In
this manner we extract whatever latent
heat or moisture there may be in the
fruit, rendering it perfectly dry and of
an even temperature before loading into
cars, We use for the transportation of
these fruits the Tiffany summer and
winter car, which we reduce to the same
temperature as that to which the fruits
have been cooled before loading them,
and maintain it en- route by the addition
of ice at points along the route where
needed, thus subjecting the fruits to no
change of temperature from the time
they are loaded into the car at Riverside
until prepared for unloading at New
York, Boston, Chicago or whatever
point to which the goods may be con-
signed.
l think that you will all agree with me
that heat and moisture are the principal
causes of the cry we SO often hear of "rot
and decay" Remove this as we do and
your fruit will carry successfully
20 the most remote markets, inffact we
have letters testimonial of the excellent
condition in which fruit treated by us
is arriving in all the principal markets of
the United States.
There many assertions made that fruits
cannot be treated successfully by cold
storage. What is the reason of these
failures? 1t is simply tina cold storage,
rs applied by those making the expert
ments, has been improperly handled.
There is proper and an improper way
to apply cold storage. All the bad re-
sults obtained from cold storage can be
traced directly to this improper hand.
ling. For instance, it has been the GUS
tom TO expose fruits taken from, say, for
example, temperature of AS and ex-
pose 1t to the atmosphere, say, OF 80 or
20, u 1t any wonder that the re suit has
lacen unsatisfactory? OF course, the
fruit 80 exposed would ATTRACT whatever
moisture there might be in the atmos-
na0r0- and thin would ~ - - L.~:- A.. |